How’s the Air in Nepal?

I checked the World Health Organization’s global PM2.5 database. According to that database, Kathmandu’s PM2.5 particulate pollution averaged 49 micrograms/m3 in 2013:

That’s just about double the WHO’s 24-hour limit of 25 micrograms. That means, on average, the air has dangerous levels of tiny particles. I’d guess winter heating brings along days that are easily 5 times that high or more.

How Does Kathmandu Compare to Other Major Cities?

Forty-nine micrograms is pretty bad, but Kathmandu is lower than Delhi and Beijing:

Yet “better than Delhi” isn’t much of a prize. Kathmandu is still far from the levels of US cities like New York, which made it just under the WHO’s stricter annual limit.

Bottom line: Kathmandu’s air pollution isn’t the worst in the neighborhood, but it is far above safe limits.

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Thomas is an Associate Professor of Behavior Science at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and the founder of Smart Air, a social enterprise to help people in China breathe clean air without shelling out thousands of dollars for expensive purifiers.

About Smart Air

Smart Air is a social enterprise based in China, India, Mongolia and the Philippines that creates simple, no-nonsense air purifiers and provides free education to combat the impacts of air pollution.
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